Bottle closure applying means



g 23, 1932- F. DARLING 1,873,113

BOTTLE CLOSURE APPLYING MEANS Filed March 16, 1951 o W d Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATEN'IIP ornce FRANK L. DARLING, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO CROWN CORK & SEAL COMPANY, TING, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK BOTTLE CLOSURE APPLYING MEANS Application filed March 16,

The present invention relates to improvements in means for applying disc or crownlike closures to containers such as glass bottles. 1

{5; Closures of the character referred to are commonly formed of thin metal, paper, or suitable material that can be deformed so that the body thereof will extend over the vmouth of a bottle, or other container, while the marginal portions will be interlocked with the finish about the mouth of the container.

As will be appreciated, it is difiicult in manufacturing containers, particularly when made of glass, to secure uniformity in dimensions and form of the finish about the mouth, and considerable breakage occurs in securing closures in position.

Difiiculty is. also experienced in msurlng '90 the desired effective sealing of the contents of the container because of imperfect contact between the closure and the finish about the mouth when the form of the latter is not truly circular in shape.

23 It has been heretofore proposed to make the portion of a bottle sealing head by which the closure cap is interlocked with the container so that it will accommodate itself to slight variations in the dimensions of the months of 80 bottles but the constructions heretofore proposed have commonly been such that the area of the space in which the mouth of the bottle is received is variable. Such constructions have not proven in practice to be satisfactory because the operation thereof has been found to vary with variations in the material from which the closure disc or crown is made. The object of the present invention is to provide a bottle cap applying means which will be free from the objections before referred to and which may be satisfactorily employed with containers, the mouths of which are not of uniform contour.

The invention will be described more in detail in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of a bottle cap applying head, and

Figure 2 is a sectional plan substantially 59 on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

1931. Serial no. 523,125.

Referring to the drawing, in both figures of which corresponding parts are designated by the same reference character, 1 designates the body of a bottle cap applying head which includes a plunger 2 that is vertically mov- 55 able within'a chamber 3 opening through the bottom of the head and adapted to receive the mouth of a bottle 4 to be capped.

With the stem 5 of the plunger 2 cooperates'a spring 6, and the head and support (not shown) for the bottle are, as usual, so related as'to permit relative vertical movement between them in order to force a closure disc or cap 7 into interlocking relation Hitli the finish about the mouth of the bot- The throat portion of the capping head, by means of which the marginal section of the closure disc 7 is deformed to properly engage with the bottle finish, is, according tothe 7 present invention, composedof a plurality of similarly shaped segments 10.

As shown, these segments are of such form and so related that they are in abutting relation at their inner ends, or about the inner circumference of the bore into which the mouth of the bottle extends and are slightly spaced or separated as at 11 adjacent the outer circumference.

Each segment 10 is of channel form in so cross section and within the annular channel formed when they are assembled is fitted a I flexible chain.

The links 12 of the chain are connected by pintles 14 which, as shown, project at both ends beyond surfaces of the links and are secured in the'segments 1O constituting the walls of the groove or channel in which the chain is arranged. Each of said pintles 14 q is shown as being surrounded by a suitable 9O bushing- 15, the result being that the'chain as a whole forms such a flexible connection of the several segments that any particular segment may yield or move radially slightly to accommodate bottles, the mouths of which are not perfectly round or of uniform dimen-' sion, without, however, causing any substantial variation of the interior circumference or area of the throat. I

The flexiblethroat composed of the segltll ments 1O referred to is shown as being re tained in the chamber 3 of the capping head by an annular face plate 20 secured to the lower end of the head, and a cushion member 21 may be arranged between the upper end of said throat and the inner wall of the chamher 3, if desired.

It will be understood that in using a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention, the head 1 and support for the bottle or container 4 will be caused to have relative vertical movement so that the mouth of the bottle will be forced upward into the chamber 3 of the head and the segmental members 10 will exert pressure on the marginal portion of the closure 7 that initially projects radially beyond the finish of the bottle, causing such portion to be bent downward and into suitable engagement with the bead commonly provided about the bottle mouth.

The number of segments composing the yielding throat may be varied as desired, depending upon the size of the mouth of the bottle or container with which the device is to be employed.

Further, the relation of the segments and links of the connecting chain may be varied from that shown. For example, instead of making each segment of substantially the same circumferential length as one of the links of the chain, and having two of the chain pintles secured in each segment, it will be appreciated that segments of substantially half the relative length of those shown may be used, a single pintle being directly connected to each segment.

It is believed that the operation and advantages of the improvements will be readily appreciated from the foregoing description and drawing.

It will be seen that the construction provided is one in which the circumference or area of the space surrounded by the flexible connected segments is always substantially the same, as said segments are in abutting relation at their inner circumference. That is to say since the encircling member formed by the links 12 is not extensible longitudinally, it will not stretch radially, or circumferentially, so that the circumference or perimeter of the crowning throat formed by the series of segments 10 will at all times remain substantially the same, yet will permit distortion so that the throat will readily conform to any irregularity in the shape of the bottle neck or cap. It will be seen that this distortion is permitted freely, due to the free pivoted connection of the segments which constitute the crowning throat. Therefore, whileany or all of the segments are free to have slight relative movement to enable caps to be properly applied to bottles or containers, the mouths of which may not be perfectly circular in form or of uniform dimensions, there will be no expansion of the bottle mouth receiving area as a whole due to variations in the thickness of the material of the disc 7.

With a construction such as shown and described the disc or cap 7 is easily forced over the finish about the mouth of the container, yielding sufficiently to accommodate any slight irregularity in the contour of the finish, and such closure is effectively secured in position to ensure the desired sealing of the bottle contents.

I claim:

1. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments and a surrounding chain annulus with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

2. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments shaped to provide an exterior annular channel, and a chain annulus positioned within said channel and directly connected to each of the segments with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

3. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a seahng head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments arranged to provide a throat having its circumference remaining substantiall the same, and a sectional means connecting said segments. v

4. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments, the several segments being positioned in abutting relation at the inner circumference of the throat and spaced slightly at the outer circumference, and a flexible annulus surrounding and connecting said segments with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

5. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments, the several segments being positioned in abutting relation at the inner circumference of the throat and spaced slightly at the outer circumference, and a flexible metal annulus surrounding and connecting said segments with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

6. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of'a series of segments, and a chain annulus surrounding said segments and having the pintles thereof secured to the several segments.

7. A means for applying closure caps to containers comprising a sealing head including a throat portion formed of a series of segments shaped to provide an exterior annular channel, and a chain annulus ositioned within said channel, both ends the pintlesof the chain extending beyond the link members thereof and being secured to j J the segments.-

8. A crowning throat formed of a series of movable segments and means connecting the segments together to permit their free relative movement and retain the circumference of the throat substantially the same.

9. A crowning throat formed of a series of movable. segments and a sectional endless member maintaining the segments operatively associated for relative movement with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

10. A crowning throat formed with a series of movable segments and a sectional endless member having the sections pivotally connected, said member maintaining the segments operatively associated for free relative movement with the inner circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

11. A crowning throat formed with a series of relatively movable segments and a sectional endless member having 'the sec tions movably connected for free relative movement, said member maintainin the segments operatively associated for ree rela- 0 tive movement with the circumference of the throat remaining substantially the same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK L. DARLING. 

